In U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,897, a beam functioning fire ring is disclosed for use in association with a conventional gasket body. It is shown in an environment in which the fire ring is adapted to be supported on a cylinder sleeve or liner and is joined with the gasket body in a conventional manner.
Typically, the joint between the gasket body and fire ring is provided with a sealant which may both secure them and provide a seal against flow of a coolant from the zone or space between the liner and the block. One problem with relying on such a sealant to provide a seal is that the heat in that zone tends to degrade the sealant, ultimately resulting in a failure of the gasket.
It would be desirable to reduce the dependence on such sealants in effecting a seal around the liner, while retaining the sealing advantages of beam functioning fire rings.